Overload gauge for truck axles



Patented Aug. 24, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device mountable upon a truck for providing an indication of the load imposed upon an axle thereof.

It is well known that most states have stringent regulations with respect to the amount of load that can be imposed upon a truck axle, and as a result, it is common practice to weigh the truck on suitable, conventional scales to ascertain the axle load of the truck when the same has been loaded with its cargo.

However, in many instances scales of the type stated are not readily available, and a convenient means for ascertaining the axle load with proper accuracy does not exist.

The main object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide an overload gauge or weight indicator for trucks which can be secured more or less permanently between the truck axle and the load support bed of the truck, in a manner eiiective to provide an immediate reading of the number of pounds of weight `imposed upon the axle.

A further object of importance is to provide a device of the type referred to that will be inexpensively formed, simple in design, adapted for mounting upon a truck without requiring modification or redesign of any part of the truck, and locatable in a position in which it will not interfere with operation, maintenance, repair, or loading of its associated vehicle.

Yet another object of importance is to pro- .vide a device of the type stated which, though mountable between the bed and axle of the vehicle, will have an indicia-marked gauge plate and an index arm traversing said plate, with the plate and arm located remotely from the main portion of the device, at a location in which a reading can be conveniently taken.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an overload gauge formed in accordance with the present invention, a truck on which said gauge is mounted being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the device, the truck being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View through the device constituting the present invention, taken substantially on line 3--3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevational View of the gauge plate and of the pointer traversing the Same.

'I'he reference numeral I0 has been applied generally to a conventional truck having a bed I2, a frame I4 supported upon a spring assembly I6, and an axle housing I8 on which said spring assembly is mounted.

The overload gauge constituting the present invention has been designated generally by the reference numeral 2l), and is adapted to be iixedly secured, at its lower` end, to the axle housing, by means of clamping blocks 22. The clamping blocks 22, as will be noted from Figure l, have confronting, semi-circular recesses, said recesses receiving the axle housing I8. Clamp bolts 24 extend through registered openings formed in the respective blocks 22, for securing said blocks xedly to the axle housing.

The bolts 24 extend through vertically spaced openings formed in a rigid support frame 25, said frame 26 including a vertically depending leg 28 in which said vertically spaced openings are formed. The leg 28, at its upper end, is integral with a horizontally extended base portion 30, and integral or otherwise made rigid with said base portion, intermediate opposite ends of the base portion, is an upwardly and vertically extending support bar 32 rigid at its upper end with a horizontal extension that is welded or otherwise xedly secured to the lower end portion of a vertically disposed, open ended tubular member 34.

From the description which has so far been provided, it will be observed that in my device, there is provided a stationary support frame having means adapted for xedly mounting the same upon the axle housing of a Vehicle, said trame including a tubular portion the purpose )f which will be presently made apparent.

An inclined brace 36 is xedly secured, at one end, to the lower end portion of the tubular member 34, said brace extending rearwardly of the vehicle from the tubular member and being fixedly connected, at its other end, to the midlength portion of an elongated, horizontally disposed gauge plate support bar 38.

The bar 38, as will be seen from Figure 1, eX- tends laterally from the upper end of the tubular member 34 a substantial distance, substantially to the rear end of the bed I2. The bar 33 is xedly connected at its inner end to the upper end of the tubular member 34, and at its outer end has a rigid connection to the lower end of a vertically disposed, rectangular gauge plate 40.

It will thus be seen that the gauge plate 4U is so positioned relative to the frame 2S as to be carried by said frame, while at the same time being located where it can be readily viewed by a user, when a reading is to be taken.

The plate Il@ (see Figure 4) is formed with a vertically disposed slot d2, and adjacent said slot I provide a vertical series oi scale marl/:ings trl, said markings llt ascending in value from the upper to the lower end of said series. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the uppermost scale marking represents a twelve thousand pound load upon the axle, the lowermost marking representing a twenty thousand pound load.

It will be understood that where the truck is of the tandem or double-axle type, a different series of scale markings would be utilized, since double-axle trucks are permitted to carry a heavier axle load.

I believe that it will be obvious, in this regard, that when a diiierent scale is to be used, it can be marked upon a separate plate, to be superimposed upon the gauge plate in any suitable manner. Alternatively, the gauge plate Il@ might, in certain commercial embodiments of the invention, be detachably secured to its associated support bar 3E, to permit substitution of a new gauge plate whenever necessary. These modifications, .l believe, are suiiiciently obvious as not to require special illustration herein.

Arranged to traverse the graduated scale of plate lil is a horizontally disposed, relatively short pointer le of an elongated index d8. The index arm i3 has its outer end projected through the slot d2 of the plate lill, and at its inner end is iixedly secured to a vertically arranged plunger 59 sliding in the tubular member Sil.

Plunger te is thus made rigid with the index arm llt, and it will be apparent that when the plunger is depressed Within the tubular member 35i, the pointer l will be shifted downwardly along the graduated scale of the plate dll, so as to permit an axle load reading to be taken from the gauge plate.

To strengthen the rigid connection between the index arm i8 and plunger 50, I prefer that there be utilized an inclined brace 52, rigid at its opposite ends with the plunger and index arm respectively.

At its upper end, plunger 5@ is welded or otherwise made rigid with an attachment plate Sli, secured by bolts 5G or the like to the underside oi the truck bed l.

Referring new to Figure 3, the base portion Bil of frame 2li has a guide opening 5l formed therein, and the plunger lill is proportioned to a length that will permit the lower end portion of said plunger to slide freely in said opening.

It is desirable that means be incorporated in the device tending to bias the plunger upwardly within its associated tube member 3d. To this end, a spring de is coiled about the lower end portion of the plunger, above the base portion 3i?, and abuts at one end a colla-r or abutment Eil rixedly secured to the plunger below the tubular member. et its other end, the spring 5B engages the base portion 3S, and it will be understood that the spring will be maintained under compression between the base portion and abutment, so as to normally urge the plunger in the direction or" the truck bed.

The purpose of the spring is to facilitate the mounting of the device upon a vehicle, it being understood that the spring will, after the frame 26 has been xedly secured to the axle housing, urge the attachment plate eil into engagement with the truck bed I2, to permit the plunger to be iixedly secured to said truck bed.

It will be seen from the above that the device constituting the present invention is simply formed, and can be secured to a vehicle with a minimum of diiliculty. Modication or redesign of the vehicle is unnecessary, the frame being readily clamped to the axle housing and the plunger being connected with equal facility to the truck bed. When the device has been mounted upon the vehicle, the gauge plate 4i) will be conveniently disposed to permit a load reading to be readily taken by a user, without requirement of said users crawling under the vehicle. This is of importance when, as is citen the case, the vehicle is part of a large i'ieet of trucks, with readings being taken constantly during the loading of the same. The arrangement is also of importance in that it facilitates checking of axle loads by enforcement oihcers in the various States.

lt is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily conned to the specic use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An overload gauge for vehicles comprising an upstanding support frame including a vertically disposed leg, a horizontally disposed base portion projecting from the upper end oi said leg, said leg being adapted to be secured to the axle housing of a vehicle, a vertically disposed support bar having its lower end carried by base portion intermediate the end of the latter portion, a vertically disposed open ended tubular member spaced from and on one side oi' said support bar and having the portion adjacent its lower end secured to the upper end of said support bar, and an upstanding gauge plate having scale markings thereon arranged on one side ci and spaced from said tubular member and secured to the latter member adjacent its upper end, an upstanding plunger sliding in said tubular member and having the upper end adapted for fixed connection to the bed of said vehicle, and an index arm rigid with said plunger and arranged to traverse said scale to provide an indication oi the axle load of the vehicle.

2. An overload gauge for vehicles comprising an upstanding support frame including a vertically disposed leg, a horizontally disposed base portion projecting from the upper end of said leg, said leg being adapted to be secured to the axle housing of a vehicle, a vertically disposed support bar having its lower end carried by said base portion intermediate the end of the latter portion, a vertically disposed open ended tubular member spaced from and on one side of said support bar and having the portion adjacent its lower end secured to the upper end of said support bar, and an upstanding gauge plate having scale markings thereon arranged on one side of and spaced from said tubular member and secured to the latter member adjfacent its upper end, an upstanding plunger sliding in 2,687,293 5 said tubular member and having the upper end References Cited in the le of this patent adapted for iixed connection to the bed of said UNITED STATES PATENTS vehicle, an index arm rigid with said plunger Number Name Date and arranged to traverse said scale to provide an 1,590,544 Petersen June 29 1926 indication of the axle load of the vehicle, and 5 1 809 373 Bonnette June 9 1931 spring means operatively connected to said plunger adjacent the lower end and said base portion FOREIGN PATENTS for biasing the plunger upwardly Within said Number Country Date tubular member in the direction of the bed of 182,377 Great Britain July 6, 1922 said vehicle. 10 374,453 Italy Aug. 25, 1939 

